core

## Showing, Animating, and Moving Path Lines

PC-DMIS has the ability to generate colored lines on the CAD model in the Graphic Display window that show the path your probe will take during execution as it measures marked features. These lines are called path lines. Path lines help you preview the path your probe will take and troubleshoot possible collision areas.

The software only generates the probe's path lines for features that follow a MODE/DCC command. If your measurement routine doesn't have a MODE/DCC command, you won't see any path lines.

The Animate Path, Regenerate Path, Optimize Path, and Collision Detection options are not available for Portable devices.

Viewing All Path Lines

To view path lines, select View | Path Lines. PC-DMIS checks each command and draws the path lines accordingly. You can press Esc to cancel this process at any time.

This example shows the probe's route drawn on the part's graphical image

Viewing Path Lines from a Cursor's Position

This only works if the Edit window is in Command mode.

You can select View | Path Lines from Cursor to limit the displayed path lines to focus on the following:

- The feature where the cursor resides.

- The feature that precedes it.

- The feature that follows it.

You may find this most useful when stepping through a measurement routine.

For example, suppose your measurement routine has these features in this order: CIR1, CIR2, CIR3, CIR4, and SLT1. If you clicked on item CIR4 in Command mode, the Graphic Display window draws path lines for CIR3, CIR4, and SLT1.

Example showing path lines drawn for the clicked feature, CIR4, its preceding feature, CIR3, and its following feature, SLT1

To modify the number of features that display their path lines within Path Lines from Cursor mode, edit the value in the Create Path Feature Count box located in the Animation tab of the Setup Options dialog box. The default value is 1, which means that PC-DMIS draws path lines for one feature preceding the current feature and one feature following the current feature. See the "Setup Options: Animation tab" topic in the "Setting Your Preferences" chapter.

The Path Lines from Cursor mode does not function with Auto Insert Moves operation (Operation | Graphic Display Window | Clearance Moves | Auto Insert Moves). If you perform an Auto Insert Moves operation, PC-DMIS reverts to displaying all the path lines. See "Inserting Clearance Moves Automatically" in the "Inserting Move Commands" chapter.

Viewing Path Lines for a Range of Selected Items

Another way of limiting the displayed path lines is to select a range of one or more features in the Edit window and show path lines used for only those selected features.

To do this:

1. In the Edit window, select the range of features.

- If in Command mode, click and drag the selection or click on the first feature, press Shift and then click on the second feature to establish the range of features.

- If in Summary Mode, click on the first feature, press Shift and then click on the second feature to establish the range of features.

- In either mode, you can press Ctrl and click to select non-sequential features.

2. Right-click in the Edit window. A shortcut menu appears.

3. From the shortcut menu, choose Path | Path Lines. PC-DMIS draws the path lines on the screen for the selected features. A check box appears next to the shortcut menu item.

If you want to select a different range of features, you need to right-click in the Edit window and, from the shortcut menu, clear the Path | Path Lines menu item. You can then re-select the Path Lines shortcut menu item for the new selection.

Changing a Path Line's Size

To change the size of your path lines:

1. Choose Edit | Graphic Display Window | Display Symbols to open the CAD and Graphic Setup dialog box.

2. Click the Symbols tab.

3. Modify the Fixed Size value.

During execution or collision detection operations, or during a part translation or rotation, PC-DMIS draws the path lines as simple lines (without the defined diameter) in order to speed up these operations.

Changing a Path Line's Color

By default, the software shows path lines in a green color.

To change the color:

1. Access the Setup Options dialog box

2. Click the Animation tab.

3. From the Path Lines Color box, choose a color.

See the "Setup Options: Animation tab" topic in the "Setting Your Preferences" chapter.

You can use the Path toolbar on the QuickMeasure toolbar (View | Toolbars | QuickMeasure) to work with common path line options. For more information, see the "CMM QuickMeasure Toolbar" topic in the PC-DMIS CMM documentation.

More:

Animating the Path

Regenerating the Path

Detecting Collisions

Moving Path Lines

Related Topics:

Setup Options: Animation tab